Category Archives: restorations

I can’t believe anyone even asked me to do this, but the request has been made. Three old black and white photos that are all dried out and curled into tubes. They appear to be 5×7’s but they need to be hydrated to even measure. One already has the emulsion cracked, so even after they are flattened, there will need to be some serious photoshopping done to remove the cracks.

Research indicates that subtle hydration is in order. I’m not real concerned with the outcome, but I’m trying to adhere to museum quality restoration practices, albeit confined to the resources at hand.

I started with distilled water posted in the bottom of an available bucket, using bent sections of 1/2″ chicken wire as shelves to hold the paper prints above the water. I was amazed that there was some reaction within 1/2 hour of closing the lid. Several hours later, they didn’t look much different, but it’s obvious there is a reaction happening.

The prints will be left in the moist environment for the next two weeks, since that’s how long I will be out of town. Stay tuned for the update.

Here are the images from the initial insertion into the moist environment.